


Temprae

by TheMillionthGirl



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Akward Frisk, Amnesia, F/F, F/M, Flowey is a Weed, Forgotten Memories, Frisk has a potty mouth, Frisk starts at LV 5, Gen, No Smut, No spoilers so tags will be added as I go, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secrets, Tall Frisk, Toriel is Not Mom, Toriel is a sweetheart though, excessive uses of the word “fuck”, the cold never bothered Frisk anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-03-04 14:12:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13366386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMillionthGirl/pseuds/TheMillionthGirl
Summary: Without any memories of her past few months on the surface and her visit with her father, Frisk wakes up in the Underground, a place where Monsters had been trapped by humans long ago. From there, she will have to figure out where the puzzle pieces that are her fragmented memories go to try and remember what happened before she fell, all while she tries to save the magical beings trapped beneath the mountain, and discover the reason for why she has the artifact that shereally shouldn’t have. The only thing she knows for sure is that whatever is waiting for her once she gets out of the Underground really isn’t going to be good.





	1. Prologue: Two Months Before

**2 Months Earlier**

"Hi... dad."

It was the first time she'd talked to her father, face to face, in, well, ever. She'd sent messages, written and verbal, to him over her twenty three years, on earth, when she could, and he'd done the same, but, this was the first time that she'd actually seen him and heard him in person. 

"Hi, Frisk... it's, uh, good to meet you?" He said, the greeting coming out more like a question than anything. She could tell that he was nervous, which was understandable.

The man who was her father held out his hand awkwardly, brown eyes flickering back and forth between her and their surroundings, a forested area just outside the nearby town where he lived in the small log cabin sitting behind him. She stretched her arm out in front of her and took his hand in hers, then shook her head and hugged her father for the first time. He went stiff in her arms, a little surprised at first, but then he relaxed and squeezed her tightly, patting her back a few times. When they separated, they both smiled a little nervously. 

"Uh, I normally wouldn't do that. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable, or anything. I just figured, I should get to hug my dad at least once, right?" she told him. 

He chuckled a bit. "It's alright, it wasn't. The hug, I mean. Uncomfortable, or anything. It was nice to hug my daughter," he scratched the back of his neck, and she smiled as she recognized the rambling on about nothing as a trait she'd gotten from him. "Sorry. Anyways, would you want to come inside and get settled in? I'll get that big heavy bag for you."

"No, it's okay," she said, and lifted the bag with ease. "I'm a strong girl, I can do it myself."

He grinned at her. "Right. I forgot that half of you is your mom. Come on, I'll show you your room."

***

There were a lot of things she liked about her fathers house more than her own, she decided. 

Her house was large and empty and cold and clean and perfect. She'd never really thought it was a fitting place for only two people to live, but her mother insisted on staying there. The walls were all either white or grey with few decorations that weren't medals or trophy's on them. They barely had any family photos, and the ones they did have were stiff and awkward looking, taken professionally in a studio. Even her own room had barren walls,  simple, clean furniture, and white sheets on the bed, not even a hint of her personality decorating the space. 

For days, sometimes weeks at a time, her mother left her all alone in the house on some business trip, with a babysitter when she was younger, which offered her at least some companionship, but with only herself as she got older. She'd often been lonely as she wandered the empty halls with no one to talk to, and nothing to do. It was why she'd learned to dismantle their security system so she could sneak out to parties and do things people her age would normally do. She was lucky she'd never been caught, or her mother, for sure, would have given her a good ass beating. 

Her fathers house, on the other hand, was a lot warmer, in temperature and in personality. All of the rooms were painted different colours. Photos of friends and family were hung up, along with a few beautiful paintings she noticed were signed by her father on the walls. Everything seemed a little old and worn out, but that was okay. They told a story that way. She didn't feel trapped here like she did in her own home and, when she looked around...

_Fuck yeah, no security system!_

Her room was painted a baby blue, smaller than her one at home, and had mismatched furniture, but she immediately loved it. The window looked out onto the forest and the mountain out the back, and she sat on the noisy mattress to stare at it for a moment. There was a brown dresser to one side of the room, a white night table with an antique lamp on top beside the bed, a big bookshelf filled with books that she made a note to check out later. It smelled like dust and some kind of cleaner, but she didn't mind. 

"I, uh, hope you don't mind the size or anything. I know that you're used to having more space, but this is about all I got," her dad said, standing in the doorway, almost seeming ashamed that this was all he could offer her. 

"Don't apologize. I love it," she smiled up at him from her seat. 

He seemed surprised once again. "Oh, okay. Well, I'll let you put your things away, and I'll call you down when dinner is finished."

"Okay."

***

They ate, mostly in silence, since they had both discovered that conversation was a bit awkward. 

While they did eat, Frisk observed the similarities and differences between her and her father. She was tall, almost 6'3", while he was a whopping 5'5". They shared the same darker complexion, something she was glad for because her mothers skin was so pale you could almost see through it, in the right light. She'd gotten his darker brown hair, instead of her mother's blonde, and his straight nose and big, wide eyes, bright blue instead of brown, though. On the personality scale, she concluded that she was a lot more like her dad than her mom. They were both quiet, not much for conversation, and a little awkward. She wasn't as clumsy as he was, having adopted her mothers grace when she was younger, but she remembered a time when she was a child and used to constantly run into things and stub her toes on different objects, like she'd caught him doing a couple times. Finally, she'd found out that he had a love for painting, which was similar to her love of drawing. 

"This is really good," she told him after a few minutes of awkward silence. 

"Thanks," he said gruffly. 

"Pork, right?" She asked, almost sure.

He looked down at the blackened meat on his plate. "Uh, no. Chicken."

"Oh. Uh, it still tastes pretty good. Better than when my mom cooks anyways, but she doesn't really cook that often, so..."

"Right," he finished chewing and pushed his food around on his plate for a few seconds. "So, uh, how is your mom? I forgot to ask earlier."

"She's... good, I think." 

She hadn't spoken to her mother for a while, at least in person, anyways. There wasn't any fight or anything between them, her mother was just... distant. That's all. They'd messaged back and forth on her trip here, but it was never anything more than "how are you?" or "how's the trip going?".

He nodded. "That's good."

She watched him for a moment as she scooped up a forkful of food and chewed on it slowly, eyes not meeting hers. He was... sad. 

She cocked her head to the side. "Do you ever miss her?"

He looked up at her for a brief second. "Uh... Yeah. Sometimes."

_"Only when I look at you and see him, instead."_

She nodded, hand reaching up to finger the star shaped locket her mother had given her before she'd left which hung around her neck, but she didn't say anything else.

***

After helping clear the table and do the dishes, against her fathers protests that, as a guest, she shouldn't have to do chores her first day here, they both settled down onto the couch in the living room. Her father offered her the remote to the television, but she declined, telling him that he could pick since she didn't know what was on, and they watched some kind of nature documentary for a while, which seemed to make them both happy. 

By the time that the sun had gone down hours ago and it was starting to become late into the night, Frisk was still pretty much awake since it was still daytime where she was from. The nature channel was still on, but, by the looks of things, her father was about ready to nod off. 

She observed his drooping eyelids for a moment before lightly shaking his shoulder to wake him up. "I think it might be time for bed, dad."

He yawned, nodding a bit. "Yeah. Yeah. Just didn't want to leave you here alone in the dark..."

"It's okay," She smiled. "I'm going to go too. It's late now."

"Okay. Night," he said, getting off of the couch. 

"Goodnight, Päavla."

He turned. "Sorry, what?"

"Oh. Päavla. It means 'dad' where I'm from. Sorry, if that's weird than I won't call you that."

"No, no, call me that if it's more natural to you," he smiled. "I'm glad you're here. I've always wanted to meet you. I don't want to chase you away just because you're uncomfortable."

She grinned back at him. "I'm glad to meet you, too. I think I'll like it here."

"I hope so."

***

That night, as she settled onto the lumpy mattress under the navy blue comforter of her bed, she stared out at the sky, at the stars high above, some of them blocked by the silhouette of the mountain. She found the brightest star from where she was laying, just beginning to peak over the horizon, and made a wish on it, even though she'd stopped wishing on stars since she was a little girl. 

_I hope I'll be happy here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to get this out, I’m sorry for anyone reading my other fic. Hopefully, I’ll have a new chapter for That one out soon, I wrote most of a new one today I just have to work on the end of it. 
> 
> Anyways, uh, yeah. This is a new idea I had. I don’t really know where I’m going with this, but I hope it’ll work out. 
> 
> Btw, if ur gonna look up any of the words I use in this that sound fake, don’t bother because they _are_ fake. I’m making up a language here, you’ll see why later ;)


	2. Unpleasant Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk falls into a hole and meets a deadly flower and a weird goat.

She woke to Earth's sun shining onto her face.

With a soft groan, she immediately turned away from the blinding light and blinked rapidly, not used to brightness. Her home had been a dark place and her eyes had adjusted so they were better equipped for the dark than the light. The warmth of the sun, also a rarity where she came from, heated her back, which was an unfamiliar sensation, but not an unpleasant one. 

She blinked a few times to clear her eyes of the spots that were forming in her vision, breathing in the pleasant smell of the golden flowers she was laying on. She stopped blinking and stared down at the flowers in curiosity for a moment, then up and around at the rocky walls surrounding her. She risked a glance at the gaping hole above her for a moment, then away quickly to avoid the burn of the sun, surprised how deep the hole went. She must have fallen down. 

But why was she down here?

She frowned as she tried to remember what she had been doing before mysteriously appearing here. The last thing she remembered was... her visit with her father. She had arrived at his home, spent a day settling in and then gone to bed and, now, somehow, she was here.

... maybe she'd sleepwalked?

The thought was immediately put to rest when she took out her phone and stared at it, baffled, to see that it was two months after the date she had arrived on. 

_What the fuck happened?_

She got up off of the ground and squinted at the tiny screen. The battery was low and there was no signal, so it seemed like she wouldn't be getting any help from the thing. Sighing, she stuffed it back into her jeans pocket. She closed her eyes to avoid the rays of the sun and tilted her head back. 

"Hello?" She shouted up the hole. "Dad? Somebody? I'm down here, help me!"

The only response she got was the slight whistle of the wind far above. 

For the next few minutes, she tried climbing back up the gaping hole, but the walls were too steep and there weren't enough hand or foot holes to grab on to, so she just ended up falling back to the ground anyways. Occasionally she would yell for help, but nobody came. 

_Stupid hole_ , she thought bitterly. _Stupid sun, stupid rocks, stupid everything._

The sun had started giving her headaches, so she reached up to her head and rubbed her fingertips into her scalp to try and relieve the ache there, but she brushed over a huge lump on the side in the process. 

_Must've bumped my head. That's why I can't remember anything._

Frisk gave up a while later and sat down heavily in the flowers. She picked one up and stared down at it, feeling the soft petals between her fingers. They were buttercups, if she remembered, and they were poisonous if ingested. She stuffed a few into the kangaroo pocket of her blue and purple striped shirt and waited for a while longer. 

_Stupid dirt, stupid flowers, stupid... cave opening? Has that always been there?_

She stood up and walked towards the tunnel that lead deeper into the hole she was trapped in. She'd been so busy trying to climb up that she hadn't even noticed that the cave went deeper. Maybe this lead to a way out...?

She stopped at what seemed to be a doorway carved into the rocky walls. It looked old. Maybe there was an ancient civilization down here that she was about to discover. 

Cautiously walking forwards, she stopped to see a lone golden flower on a patch of grass, a beam of light shining down above it. Not only that, but it had a face. And was smiling at her.

"Howdy!" The creature said with a grin. "I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!"

Keeping her eye on the thing, Frisk cautiously picked up a stick near her foot and held it at her side because, what the fuck, that's a _talking flower_. 

_Flowey, eh?_

"You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha?"

Hesitantly, she nodded, still shocked at the smiling little flower. Did... did plants talk here? Frisk didn't even know what to think anymore. 

"Golly, you must be so confused!"

"Flowey, you have no fucking idea," she whispered to herself, the creature not seeming like it heard her. 

"Someone ought to teach you how things work around here. I guess little old me will have to do," Flowey said, and Frisk didn't fail to notice the sinister look he gave her for a split second. 

"Ready?"

 _For what?_

"No."

"Here we go!"

Despite saying no, Frisk felt a small tug in her chest. She frowned and stared down, tugging against it. The feeling disappeared, but started again, and again, she dismissed it. Looking up at the flower, she noticed the annoyed expression crossing it's face. The tugging started again, but, this time, she let him do what he wanted, just to see what would happen. 

The world around her turned to black, the walls and floor and ceiling fading away until she was inside of an endless void of darkness. Flowey was still there, but it was as if she was colourblind and he'd turned from yellow and green to white and black. The annoyance was gone, and he looked happy again, though she was getting the feeling the happiness was an act. The only colour left was from the bright red, cartoon-ish looking heart floating in front of her chest. A white box also hovered in front of her, along with her name and a few things she didn't understand. 

**Frisk   LV 5   HP 36/36**

"See that heart? That's your SOUL, the very culmination of your being."

"Why is it out, put it back in, what the actual fuck," she tried saying, but it seemed this dark world had muted her too. 

"Your SOUL starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV. What does LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course!"

_Sounds pretty shady._

"You want some LOVE, don't you? Don't worry! I'll share some with you," the flower continued on, giving her a wink. "Down here, LOVE is shared through little white... "friendliness pellets"!"

 _Yep. This keeps getting shadier and shadier._ Frisk no longer trusted this flower. 

"Are you ready?" Flowey said, small white pellets appearing around him and hovering around him in the air. "Move around! Get as many as you can!"

_How 'bout no._

Without knowing she could do it, she moved the little heart, her SOUL, out of the way of the pellets when Flowey sent them towards her. The pellets missed the heart, and when they flew at her they went straight through like she didn't exist. She wondered what it would feel like if she let the pellets hit her SOUL, but judging by the way Flowey's smile froze to one of annoyance for a moment, then returned to normal after he realized she was staring at him, she suspected it would not be pleasant. 

"Hey, buddy, you missed them. Let's try it again, okay?"

Again, Flowey sent his "friendliness pellets" at her and again, she dodged them. 

This time, Flowey's face changed drastically, an angry scowl overcoming his face. "Is this a joke? Are you brain dead? RUN. INTO. THE. BULLETS- er friendliness pellet!"

"Ha! I fucking KNEW IT!" Was what she would've shouted, had she been able to speak. She dodged the bullets a third time. 

Flowey's grin returned, but his eyes were empty of emotion and the grin was a little creepy this time. 

"You know what's going on here, don't you?"

_Yes. Now I do._

"You just want to see me suffer."

_Uh, no? No I don't._

Suddenly, her SOUL was circled with bullets, with no possible way for her to escape. Her eyes widened at the demonic grin that appeared on Flowey's face. 

" **Die.** "

As the evil golden flower's demonic laugh filled her ears, the pellets closed in around her SOUL. Panicked, she moved the heart towards the centre of the circle and braced herself for when they inevitably collided. Suddenly, just as they were about to hit their mark, they disappeared. She and Flowey wore identical expressions of confusion a second before Flowey was blown away by a fireball that came from nowhere. He disappeared into the dark void and a new figure appeared. It was taller than Frisk by about half a foot, and had the appearance of an anthropomorphic goat, with white fur, paws, and a dress with a rune on it. Despite the size of the figure, it gave off a friendly sort of appearance, with its large floppy ears, warm eyes and friendly smile. 

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth," she, or, at least, Frisk figured it was a She from the feminine voice it had, said. 

Despite the overall nonthreatening vibes she was sending out, Frisk backed away from the goat woman, still weary from her previous encounter with the demon flower. 

"Ah, do not be afraid, my child," she said. 

_"My child"? Seriously lady I'm 6'3", there's no way you could mistake me as a "child"._

"I am Toriel, caretaker of the RUINS. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time," Toriel explained.

_... "Human," eh?_

"Come! I will guide you through the catacombs," the goat woman said. 

The world faded back in and colours returned. Frisk could see that Toriel had a purple dress and that her eyes were red. 

Toriel smiled and turned, beckoning her forwards. "This way."

She seemed cheerful and sincerely willing to help, unlike Flowey, wherever he'd gone, so Frisk followed Toriel, albeit a little cautiously. She was still weary of theese creatures, but she couldn't get out of here if she just stayed behind. 

They exited into a new room, one that had purple stone for walls and purple dirt for the floor. The ceiling was a little low, which felt a bit claustrophobic to Frisk, and was also– you guessed it– purple. She was beginning to notice a colour scheme. Lots of different smells filled the room; cinnamon and butterscotch, something damp, and a smoky smell, like from a fire, to name a few. At the far end of the room was a stone staircase, also purple, that led up to a platform and another doorway. In front of the staircase was a pile of red leaves, and floating just above the leaves looked kind of like a.... star, if a star was tiny and looked like a kids drawing of one. Toriel scampered up the steps and waited by the doorway for Frisk to catch up. 

She cautiously approached the star. It didn't seem hot, or harmful in any way. She reached out and touched it.

_The shadow of the RUINS looms above, filling you with determination._

She jerked away from the star thing, suddenly feeling like she was at full health once again. A voice echoed in the back of her head. 

**File saved.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two. Done. I’m not gonna say much, but I’ll probably finish my other fic before I post anymore for this one. Don’t worry, though, I only have like, two chapters left of that one.


	3. Helpful Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Puzzles, Frisk thinks Toriel is weird, a Froggit attacks, and helpful advice is given.

_What the_ fuck _kind of hole did I fall down?_

Frisk had followed Toriel deeper into the cave, still a bit weirded out by the star, but glad that it had fixed the bump on her head. "A bit weirded out" was actually an understatement, as Frisk had started screaming in her head once she'd realized that she had been healed. 

Toriel led her into a new room with buttons on the floor and a switch on the wall beside them. Two of the buttons in the middle were situated on a patch of dirt that was a little darker than the rest of the floor, like the path she and her new escort had been walking on. A sign hung on the other side of the wall near to a door, but she couldn't read it from where she stood. 

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one," Toriel said with a smile. 

_"Innocent one?" Are you joking?_ Frisk thought with a raised eyebrow, then caught up with what the goat lady had said. 

"My new home? Is there not a way out?" She asked, beginning to worry. As awkward as things were with her mother, she wanted to see her again. Her father, too. 

Torie's face remained neutral, but she was sad, and a little angry, Frisk could tell. She wondered why. "...No, child. There is not."

Frisk sighed. _Shit_.

"Now, allow me to educate you in the operation of the RUINS..."

Frisk tuned out most of what Toriel said for the next while, too worried that she might never see her parents and the (few) friends she had. Something about puzzles and rooms. The door beside the sign opened once Toriel stepped onto a few of the buttons and switched the lever, and the goat woman moved on to the next room. A bit sadly, Frisk followed, first stopping to read the sign. 

**Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road.**

She glanced at the buttons, noticing that the middle ones on the darker dirt hadn't been stepped on. _Both walk not the middle road_. Huh. 

She followed Toriel through a new room where she was instructed to pull a few levers on the wall and to stay on the path. After that was a room with a weird looking dummy in the shape of... a dog, maybe?

"As a human living in the UNDERGROUND, Monsters may try to attack you," Toriel told her. 

"Monsters?" She asked. "That's what you're called?"

Toriel nodded and continued on. She explained that when she encountered a monster, she would enter a FIGHT, which was what happened when the world turned black around her. Toriel instructed her to start a conversation with whatever attacked her to stall for time, and that she would come to resolve the conflict. 

"Practice talking to the dummy," Toriel concluded, gesturing towards the motionless object. 

Frisk gave Toriel a look like, _Really?_ before doing what she was told and walked towards the inanimate dummy, preparing for what would probably not be the battle of her life. 

The tugging sensation started in her chest once again, but this time she let her SOUL be pulled out, figuring not much harm could be done to her by the motionless dummy. The world went black and white around her again, and a box appeared in front of her, along with the little red heart, her name, and the other two stats, LV 5 and HP 36/36. Below the box were four smaller boxes, each containing a word. 

**[FIGHT][ACT][ITEM][MERCY]**

_You encounter the Dummy._

She didn't question where the little voice came from. Her day had been pretty weird so far, and the fact that she was hearing voices really wasn't that big of a concern to her. 

She tried reaching her arm out to interact with one of the options below, but her hand went through each of them. She frowned, then glanced at her SOUL, shimmering in the air. Now that she wasn't being attacked by the demon flower, she could get a better look at it. It was about the size of her palm, maybe a little larger, and looked very smooth. She leaned forwards and noticed that there was a slight silver sheen to it that shimmered when it moved, hardly noticeable unless you looked at it for a long time. 

She moved her SOUL around to the options, eventually deciding to ACT, since Toriel didn't seem to want her to FIGHT, and the ITEM and MERCY options seemed like things you'd use at the end of the fight, or if you were struggling. 

Two options turned up in the white box. 

_* Check     * Talk_

She took a guess on what the "talk" option would do, but she didn't know what "check" would do. She hovered the heart over the first option. 

_* DUMMY — ATK 0 DEF 0_

_* A cotton heart and a button eye, you are the apple of my eye._

_What._

The dummy, being a dummy, didn't move or respond, but it looked like it was going to fall over. Humming, she chose the "talk" option next. 

"So, uh... hey. What's up?" She was able to speak when she chose this option, but the dummy didn't seem much for conversation. 

_TORIEL seems happy with you. YOU WON! You earned 0 XP and 0 gold._

_Ah, yes, I truly am a champion_ , Frisk mused to herself as the world returned. 

"Ah, very good!" Toriel smiled at her. "You are very good."

Frisk nodded, trying not to feel weird. "Uh... okay, then."

 _That's a_ weird _thing to say..._

Frisk followed Toriel to the next room, which was empty, aside from a path that looked like it was meant to take you the longest route possible to get to the other side. Toriel told her that there was another puzzle in the room, and she wondered if Frisk could solve it, before she headed to the next room. Frisk stayed back a bit, studying the pathway. She concluded that there was no puzzle here and followed Toriel. 

Suddenly, something hopped in the way, drawing her SOUL out and starting a FIGHT before she had time to react or tug it back in. It's head reached about up to her knees, and was green in colour. It looked like a frog except that, from underneath it, two eyes peered up at her. It did not look threatening. Then again, Flowey didn't look threatening, either. 

_Froggit attacks you!_

She scowled at the small frog-like creature. _Froggit what the fuck._

She hovered her shimmering SOUL over the ACT option. Three choices appeared. 

_* Check     *Compliment  
*Threat_

She decided to check the little creature first. 

_* FROGGIT — ATK 4 DEF 5_

_* Life is difficult for this enemy._

Her frown dropped in sympathy for it. Suddenly, Toriel, giving the little monster one hell of a glare, appeared, and the Froggit hopped off, scared by her appearance. 

_YOU WON! You earned 0 XP and 0 gold._

The fight ended and they carried on. Frisk stopped at a sign that hung on the wall. 

_The western room is the eastern rooms blueprint._

Not really understanding what that meant, she caught up to the goat monster. A room full of spikes laid before them. There was no visible way across, except if you swam in the murky water on either side of the spikes, which Frisk did not feel like doing. 

"This is the puzzle, but..." Toriel pauses in though, then stretched her arm towards Frisk. "Here, take my hand for a moment."

Hesitantly, Frisk took the goat monsters hand and watched in horror for a moment as she stepped onto the spikes. Just as Frisk thought Toriel was going to impale ther foot, the spikes retracted and a pathway was created. Frisk sighed and followed close behind Toriel. 

"I thought you were about to stab your foot for a second there," she said, and Toriel laughed. 

"No, child. I have been through this puzzle many times, and I've never been harmed."

"Right," Frisk said. "Hey... you know I'm not a child, right?"

Toriel smiled. "Yes, I know. But, compared to me, you are but an infant."

As they walked, she noticed that the pathway that cleared on the spikes was the same twisted pathway the previous room had had. _The eastern room is the western rooms blueprint._ Now that made sense.

They got to the other side of the spiky maze and Toriel turned to her with a smile. "Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now."

"I probably could've handled that," Frisk said. "Like, I mean, it was nice that you held my hand and walked me through it and all, but I would've _eventually_ figured it out, I'm sure."

Toriel laughed as they reached the next room. "Yes. Eventually. You have done excellently this far, my child," she giggled, then went serious. "However, I have a difficult request to ask of you... I would like you to walk to the end of this room by yourself. Forgive me for this."

With the apology, the goat Monster hurried off to the end of the long room. Frisk watched in silence as Toriel disappeared behind a white pillar at the far end, her purple dress and a little bit of her white fur sticking out a bit at the sides. 

"Is she serious?" Frisk said to herself, waiting for the Monster to come out from hiding. She didn't. "Yep. She's serious about this."

Frisk wearily walked towards the pillar. _This room better not be booby trapped or something._

"Hey, uh, Toriel? You know I can see you, right?" She called, but the Monster didn't respond, instead hiding herself better behind the pillar. 

Finally, she reached the end and peeked around the pillar. "Toriel?"

"Greetings, my child," Toriel popped out with a smile. "Do not worry, I did not leave you."

Toriel told her how she was glad that Frisk trusted her and how the exercise was to test her independence. Finally, she talked about how she had some business to attend to, and that Frisk had to stay put while she went and took care of things. 

"I have an idea," the goat Monster said, taking out a small grey object from one of the pockets of her purple dress and handing it to Frisk. "I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call. Be good, alright?"

With that, she turned and walked away into the RUINS, and examined the cell phone in her hand. It was a flip phone, old, and had only one contact listed in it, **TORIEL**. She shrugged and stuffed the phone in her pocket, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to explore just a little bit...

Nearly as soon as she stepped into the next room, _Wannabe_ by the Spice Girls began blasting from the phone. 

_“Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want, So tell me what you want, what you really really want...”_

She took the cell out and flipped it open, Toriel's name showing up on the small screen. She pressed the button to answer. 

"Hello?"

"Hello? This is Toriel. You have not left the room, have you?"

Frisk's eyes widened. _Is she psychic?_ "Uhh..."

"There are a few puzzles ahead I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try and solve them by yourself. Be good, alright?"

Before Frisk had a chance to respond, there was a click on the other end and the line went quiet, other than a buzzing that told her she had to hang up. 

"She didn't even say goodbye," she said to the little Froggit she'd just noticed was sitting a few feet away from her. "You're not gonna attack me again, are you?"

The frog Monster just ribbited. 

_"Exceuse me, Human. But I have some advice for you when battling monsters."_

She jerked at the voice, wondering if the Froggit could telepathically insert words into her brain or something, but decided that that wasn't the case since the Froggit had not been with her the entire time she'd been in the Underground and she had been hearing the voice for a while since she'd seen it. 

"Uhh, sure. Let's hear it, then."

The frog creature ribbited again. 

_"If you ACT a certain way or FIGHT until you almost defeat them, they might not want to battle you anymore. If a monster does not want to fight you, please... use some MERCY, human._

"Thanks, little frog dude," she said, giving it a smile, even though she didn't fully understand what it meant. The Froggit just ribbited, but she didn't really expect it to do much more than that. 

Up ahead, another one of those weird star things hovered over another pile of red leaves. Just like before, she walked up to it, kicking a few leaves around her feet, then reached out and touched it, less weary of what it would do after it healed her the first time. 

_Playfully crinkling through the leaves fills you with determination._

**File saved.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so. I said I wasn’t gonna upload another chapter until I finish my other fic, but… well, I’m too into this one to not write some more of this. I’ve also figured out where I’m going with this, which is good. 
> 
> Anyways, am I doing good so far? Any theories so far (even though I doubt it were like two chapters in)?
> 
> Also, headcannon that Toriel likes the Spice Girls. Idk why, it just seems funny to me.


	4. A Walk Through the Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk meets some monsters, a ghost, and discovered Toriel’s home.

So far, Frisk had run into two Whimsuns, three Moldsmalls, and another Froggit. All were very cute and didn't seem like they really wanted to cause her any real harm (besides the few nicks she'd gotten from failing to dodge a few of their uniquely shaped bullets). Overall, the Underground didn't seem all that bad. 

Once she'd made peace with each of the monsters who attacked her, taking the little Froggit's advice to ACT a certain way and give them MERCY when they no longer wanted to fight, they were actually quite friendly. They apologized for attacking her and a couple even left her a few gold coins when they left before returning to their business.

The puzzles were also quite easy to figure out, and required little effort. Frisk found them relaxing, even. 

Every few minutes, Toriel called on the cell phone to make sure Frisk was okay and was staying in the room, the sounds of _Wannabe_ making her jump when it blasted from her pocket. She never gave Frisk that much of a chance to talk, but she did ask, for no reason in particular, which did she prefer; cinnamon, or butterscotch? and also, she didn't _dislike_ butterscotch, did she?

_I wonder what she's planning?_

She soon came to another star thing, the voice in her head bringing attention to the old piece of cheese that seemed to have gotten stuck to the table, and the mouse hole in the wall nearby. She hoped that the mouse, if one lived there, got the cheese soon. 

Walking into the next room, she observed an opening in the wall with a pile of leaves in the middle. On the pile of leaves laid what seemed to be a figure that looked like if a small child put a sheet over their head pretending to be a ghost. Frisk doubted this was that kind of ghost, though, because, if she stared at it long enough, she could almost see through it. 

Cautiously, she walked up to the ghostly figure, knowing that it might attack her. 

"zzzzzzzzzzz..."

_What is it doing?_

"Uh, hello?"

"...zzzzzz... are they gone yet?"

_... is it pretending to be asleep?_

Frisk took a step towards the ghost, nudging it with the top of her foot.

"Hey... uh, dude? Could you maybe move-?"

Before she could ask the ghost to move out of her way, her SOUL was suddenly drawn out of her body, and she stood face to face with the previously pretending to be sleeping Monster. It's eyes had been closed before, but now they were open she could see how sad it looked. 

_Poor guy_ , she thought. _Or is it a girl? Both? Neither? Do ghosts have genders?_

Settling on calling the ghost a "They", Frisk prepared herself for the FIGHT. 

_Here comes Napstablook._

She hovered her SOUL to the ACT menu, seeing her options pop up. Seeing how the little ghost looked pretty sad, she took a chance at cheering them up. 

She patiently smiled at them, and they smiled back, just a small bit. 

"heh..."

She dodged the bullets sent towards her, but her SOUL got hit a few times. Having gone through a few battles before this one, she was used to the little bit of pain that came from being hit with the magical pallets monsters sent her way. It usually only felt like she was being punched in the arm or kicked in the leg, nothing too serious, and nothing she wasn't used to, back home. 

_Napstablook looks just a little bit better_

Looking at the ghost, she observed that the frown was gone from their face, and a small smile had replaced it. 

_Cheer it is._

"What's do you call a fly without wings?" She asked them, getting Napstablook's attention. "... _A walk_!"

"heh... heh..."

**REALLY NOT FEELIN UP TO IT RIGHT NOW. SORRY**

The bolded words startled her a little, since she was totally expecting more bullets, but the message made her determined to make the little ghost at least a little happy. She selected "Cheer" again. 

"Hey, dude, don't be so sad. I'm sure everything will be great, soon."

The ghost finally smiled. "let me try..."

She watched as he began crying, but the tears weren't headed towards her SOUL, they defied gravity and collected over top of their head, forming what looked to be a very dashing top hat, if Frisk had to say anything about it. 

"... i call it "dapper blook." do you like it?"

She grinned at them, giving them the thumbs up since it wasn't her turn, and she hoped her message conveyed something like, "You look awesome, dude, I love it!"

Napstablook smiled, she SPARED them, and the FIGHT ended. 

Once they were out of the black void, Napstablook looked a little bashful for attacking her. 

"i usually come to the RUINS because there's nobody around... but today i met somebody nice..." they admitted a little sadly. "oh, i'm rambling again. i'll get out of your way."

"Oh, that's okay..." she began to say, but the ghost disappeared into thin air. 

She wished they had stayed a little longer. She had liked the sad little ghost. But, seeing as she couldn't disappear like they could, she shrugged and moved on. 

***

A spider bake sale, a room full of frogs, a Loox Eyewalker, a couple Vegetoids, and a few puzzles later, she came to a crossroad. 

Looking left, she saw an odd looking tree with no leaves, and forwards she could see another Froggit and a doorway. She decided she'd go left later, and for now went to talk to the Froggit. 

Luckily, this one didn't try to attack her. But, the voice in her head translated that it had seen Toriel come out of the doorway a while ago with bags of groceries. She thanked the frog monster, even though she was pretty sure it didn't understand what she said, and cautiously walked to the doorway. 

She stared, wide eyed, at the city that was spread before her through the walkway. It was absolutely _huge_ , with impressive stone buildings with beautiful architecture. She could see the cave roof, far above, sharp stalactites hanging down from the ceiling. She walked across the small balcony, wondering just exactly how big the Underground was, and how far from the surface she must've been, when her foot bumped something. 

Looking down, she saw that it was a small plastic knife, a child's toy, coloured bright green and orange. She picked it up, running her fingers over the dents in the plastic, then looked to her own stick which she'd had gripped in her hand almost the entire time. She slipped the knife into the loop of her jeans, and discarded the stick onto the floor, leaving the city behind. 

Next, she ventured up to where she'd seen the strange tree from before. Up closer now, she could see that it was almost black, and looked pretty dead. It didn't have any leaves on it, and she assumed it was why there were so many leaves scattered about the RUINS. This tree had to be where they came from. 

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from up ahead. 

"Oh dear," Toriel said. "That took longer than I expected."

" _Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want..._ "

Frisk saw the goat Monster peek out from behind a tree, confused for a moment. Then, she saw Frisk standing nearby, ringing phone in hand, and hurried over with a nervous smile. 

"My child," Toriel said. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt? Let me heal you."

Frisk let the goat woman fuss over her for a few minutes before waving off her concern. "Toriel, I'm fine. Don't worry."

She smiled. "I know, my child. But, I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this."

"Surprise me?" Frisk asked, an eyebrow raised. She knew from experience that "surprises" were never good. 

"Err-" Toriel said, looking away for a moment. Then, the goat smiled a little bashfully. She returned to her happy state. "Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one."

_Again with the stupid nicknames?_

The monster led Frisk to a small house behind the leafless tree, where there was another star hovering in the air above the leaves. 

_Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the RUINS fills you with determination._

Frisk followed the goat Monster into the house, and was immediately engulfed in warmth and a delicious smell. The house was indeed quite cute and tidy, with worn wood floors and different shades of brown and beige decorating the place. Toriel led her down a hallway to the right, stopping in front of a door, then turned with a happy smile on her face. She was excited about something. 

"Do you smell that? Surprise!" The goat said, not noticing Frisk tense at the word "surprise". "I baked you a butterscotch cinnamon pie to celebrate your arrival!"

Frisk tried smiling, but was still standing very stiffly. Was something burning, or was it just memories making her think something was? "Oh. Uh, thanks. That's so nice of you."

"I want you to have a nice time living here," the Monster explained. "Here, I have another surprise for you."

Toriel swing open a door behind her and Frisk got a look at a small red bedroom with a closet and bed she already knew she wouldn't fit in. 

"A room of your own, I hope you like it," the goat Monster said, as smiled again, but Frisk could tell she was nervous. 

Frisk gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "It's great, thanks. But what did you mean when you said I would be living-"

Suddenly, Toriel snuffed the air. "Is something burning? Um, make yourself at home!" 

Frisk watched the tall fluffy monster hurry towards the burning smell, then ducked under the door and into the small bedroom. It was _tiny_ , like, child sized tiny. In fact, there was a box filled with dusty toys at the foot of the small bed, and the clothes in the miniature closet were mostly all varying children's sizes, with the exception of two or three bigger, more adult sized sweaters. 

Sighing, she sat on the dusty blanket covering the mattress. She closed her eyes, running her fingers through her short hair. She held up a lock, remembering she'd had longer hair when she first got to her fathers house. She must have cut it in the two months she'd been staying with him. 

_Great. Another thing I don't remember happening and probably never fucking will._

She laid back on the bed, resting her head on the pillow once she dusted it off. Her legs hung off the end of the bed, which was very uncomfortable, and she was pretty sure she looked ridiculous, anyways, so she curled up into a small ball and closed her eyes, hoping to maybe rest a bit before she tried finding a way out of this place. 

***

When she woke up, the light was off, though she couldn't really tell, and a slice of butterscotch cinnamon pie sat in the middle of the room. 

Frisk uncurled from her stiff position and stretched, wincing a little as her back cracked. She stood and picked the pie up. It smelled absolutely delicious, and her mouth watered at the idea of eating it, but something told her she should save the pie for later.

She opened her inventory. 

It was something she learned she could do after she had visited the spider bakery on the trip to Toriel's house. She bought a donut with the few coins she had, just to be polite, but she wasn't very hungry at the time. She'd thought something along the lines of _Man, I wish I had somewhere to put all this shit_ , and then, like the universe had answered her prayers, a literal black hole opened up in front of her. After a brief heart attack, she poked around the hole in front of her, watching as her arm appeared and disappeared into the void of darkness, then experimentally stuck the donut in her hand into it. The hole disappeared with her food, but she eventually discovered she could summon the void at will, and her donut along with it. She decided to call her discovery her "inventory", because it held her things and also was a lot shorter than saying "scary black hole thing that holds some of my shit".

She did the same thing now, and put the slice of pie into the black void. Once that was done, she left the room behind and walked out into the hallway. To her right, she could hear a fire crackling. To her left, the hallway continued on for a bit. 

She decided she would try to find Toriel to ask where to go, so she went left first. The first door she came to had a sign on it, saying the room was under renovations. She skipped that and went on to the next door. This one had no sign on it, so she opened the door a crack and peeked inside, seeing a nice bedroom with a much larger bed than the one she slept in a few minutes ago, which she was a little envious of. She decided that this must be Toriel's room, so she closed the door and stepped away, knowing it was rude to invade the privacy of someone she didn't even know. 

Beside Toriel's room was a mirror that she had to bend down a little to look in. She recoiled at how messy her hair was, reaching up to comb through it with her fingers. Other than that, she looked like she normally did; same nose, same lips, same cheeks, chin, ears, facial features, same too bright blue eyes that tended to freak a lot of humans out, which was why she always kept them closed a bit...

She shook her head and walked back down the hallway, passing the three doors as she went. She also passed a staircase that she assumed led to the basement, so she ignored the cool air coming from down there. 

She found Toriel reading a book by the fire, wearing a pair of glasses and sitting in a comfy looking La-Z-Boy recliner. Frisk vaguely wondered how the goat woman got such a chair, being stuck Underground, as she walked hesitantly towards her. When Toriel noticed that she had entered the room, she smiled and put down the book she was reading. 

“Oh, you’re up!” She said. 

“Yeah,” Frisk said, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. “Uh, thanks for the pie. And the room.”

“Yes, I’m glad that room has a use now, it has been a long time since I’ve had visitors…” Toriel looked away in thought, then shook herself from whatever memory she was having. “I just wanted to let you know I am very happy to have you living here. I want to show you all of my books and my favourite bug hunting spot.”

She said it with a smile and so much hope that Frisk already felt like a bitch for what she was about to ask. “Toriel…”

Toriel paused. “Oh, did you want something?”

“Yeah, I just, uh,” Frisk coughed awkwardly, looking anywhere but Toriel. “Not that I’m ungrateful or anything, because I definitely _am_ grateful for the bed and the food and how you helped me, and it sounds like it would be nice to live here with you and all the other monsters, and I like it down here, I really do, but, uh, is there any way I can go home?”

She looked back up when she finished to find that the goat looked surprised and a little worried. “This… _is_ your home now.”

Frisk grimaced. “I wish I could stay here, but I can’t. I don’t remember what happened before I fell down here, and I want to find out. My parents will worry about me.”

Toriel tried to tell her a fact about snails. 

She asked how to exit the Ruins. 

The only answer she got was, “I have to do something. Stay here.”

Frisk watched as Toriel stood up and hurried out of the room, the book and herself left behind. Toriel turned and Frisk watched her disappear down the staircase, which she had thought was just the basement before, but now she felt like it might be the only way out. 

She followed the goat woman to the top of the stairs, staring down at the darkness below. There was a cool breeze here, but she didn’t think that was the reason she suddenly had chills. 

Something about this situation seemed… familiar. 

She shook herself and headed down into the basement, preparing for whatever was next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like my ending is kinda rushed. Is it kinda rushed? *sigh* oh well. 
> 
> Uhhhhhh… idk I don’t really have much else to say. Just, have a nice day? :)


	5. FIGHTing the Gatekeeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk FIGHTs Toriel, and the weed makes another appearance.

"You wish to know how to return "home," do you not?" Toriel's back was turned on Frisk in the hallway she found the woman standing in, as if she was waiting for Frisk to get there. 

Frisk nodded, though she knew Toriel couldn't see it. "Yes, I do."

There was silence for a few moments, the long purple hallway quiet aside from their breathing. 

"Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins," Toriel said. "A one way exit to the rest of the Underground."

_Knew it._

"I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again."

_Oh. I didn't know she was going to do that..._

"Now be a good child and go upstairs," Toriel said, then started to walk away.

Frisk hesitated for a few moments, looking behind her at the staircase that led back up to Toriel's home, contemplating what it would be like to live down here the rest of her life, wondering what her parents would think and do when she didn't come back. Her mother, she knew, would tear the mountain apart with her bare hands if she found out Frisk was trapped here, and her father would surely be worried about her. She would also miss them both. 

_Staying down here isn't worth it._

She hurried to catch up with the goat Monster before she got too far, and Toriel paused when she heard Frisk's footsteps behind her, but she didn't turn around. 

"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate," she sighed. "I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They **die**."

_... Holy shit._

"You naive child. If you leave the Ruins, They... **Asgore**... will kill you," Toriel glanced back at her with pleading eyes. "I am only protecting you, do you understand?"

"Tori..." Frisk didn't know what to say. Were other Monsters really that cruel, that they'd kill her just because she wasn't a monster?

"Go to your room," Toriel said, walking off. 

Despite the serious situation, Frisk couldn't help but think, _Don't tell me what to do, I'm not a child,_ rather childishly. She followed Toriel once again, rounding a corner. At the end, she could see a large purple door carved into the wall. 

"Do not try to stop me," Toriel said. "This is your final warning."

Frisk chose not to say anything, and only followed Toriel to the end of the hallway, where the Monster stopped and placed a hand on the large door. Up closer, Frisk could see the same symbol stitched into Toriel's dress carved into the stone. 

"You want to leave so badly?"

Frisk nodded. "I do."

Toriel shook her head. "You are just like the others."

_No, I don't believe I am._

"There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself."

Frisk watched as Toriel turned, a ball of fire ignoring in her hand. Her eyes widened in surprise that the Monster would turn on her just to keep her safe here. 

"Woah, I can think of, like, five other solutions to this," Frisk tried reasoning. 

Toriel shook her head. "No. Prove to me you are strong enough to survive."

Toriel seemed insistent on FIGHTing, so, with newfound determination, she grit her teeth and nodded, ready to prove herself. It wasn't like this would be the first time. 

The FIGHT began. 

_Toriel blocks the way._

Frisk stood for a moment with her SOUL hovering in front of her chest, staring sadly at the Monster. Toriel had taken her in, protected her, given her a place to sleep and food to eat, and had acted like a mother to her, and now she was repaying her by trying to leave her by FIGHTing. And she knew that Toriel would put up a fight to try to get her to stay here. 

Despite that, Frisk couldn't bring herself to try and hurt Toriel. 

_*Spare_

Toriel didn't say anything, but started to attack, throwing fireballs at Frisk's SOUL that she quickly dodged, only getting caught by a few.

_*Spare_

Toriel looked confused, but she didn't relent, this time sending large paws that shot magic at her. 

_*Spare_

_*Spare_

_*Spare_

"What are you doing?"

_*Spare_

Toriel frowned. "Attack or run away!"

_*Spare_

Toriel paused for a moment, fireballs still aflame in her hands. "What are you proving this way?"

_You taught me not to fight so, for you, I won't._

_*Spare_

"Fight me or leave!" The monster yelled. Frisk shook her head. 

_*Spare_

"Stop it," Toriel said, looking away. Her attacks seemed to be getting weaker. 

_*Spare_

"Stop looking at me that way," she said softly, arms lowering to her sides. Frisk was tired from dodging all the attacks and from getting hit so many times, her HP lowered to 20/36, but she was still standing and willing to FIGHT — or, in this case, SPARE— Toriel. 

_*Spare_

_*Spare_

_*Spare_

"I know you want to go home, but..." the attacks were easier to dodge now, she barely had to move her SOUL. It was as if Toriel wasn't even trying to hit her anymore. 

_*Spare_

"But please..." Toriel said, looking at her with pleading eyes. She was sad, but she was also scared. "Go upstairs now."

_*Spare_

"I promise I will take good care of you here," she said with a hopeful smile. Frisk knew that was true, but she also knew she had to get out of here. 

_*Spare_

"I know we do not have much, but..."

_*Spare_

"We can have a good life here."

_*Spare_

Toriel sighed, staring at the ground and seeming defeated. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

Frisk felt her heart break at the sadness in her voice, feeling like the biggest bitch in the universe at that moment. She took a deep breath and selected the spare button once again, though. 

_*Spare_

"Please, go upstairs now."

_*Spare_

_*Spare_

_*Spare_

"Ha ha..." Toriel laughed without humour, looking back up at Frisk with sad eyes. "Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child."

_Once again, I am not a child._

_*Spare_

"No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down there. The RUINS are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations... My loneliness... My fear... For you, my child... I will put them aside," Toriel said as the FIGHT came to a close, her SOUL returning back to her chest with no more damage taken to it. Frisk breathed a sigh of relief, brushing her shirt off. 

Toriel stood before her now without fireballs or the motivation to FIGHT any more, looking sad, but also relieved that their battle was over. 

"If you truly wish to leave the Ruins," Toriel, stepping aside from the door. "I will not stop you."

Frisk smiled. "Thank you, Toriel."

"However, when you leave..." Toriel looked at the ground. "Please, do not come back." 

Frisk watched Toriel for a moment, now knowing that she had told the same thing to others that had come here before. She felt sorry that she couldn't stay, but she vowed that she would try and find a way for Toriel to get out of this place if she did nothing else. She owed it to her. 

"Okay," Frisk agreed sadly. 

Toriel nodded, stepping completely away from the door. "I hope you understand. Goodbye, my child."

Then, she did something Frisk did not expect; she hugged her. Toriel was furry, but warm, and hugged tightly, just like a mother would. Frisk's mother wasn't furry, but, she imagined, this is what it would feel like if her mother hugged her. The last time her mother hugged her must have been years ago. 

Frisk felt like she could cry.

Finally, after a few moments, the goat Monster pulled away and smiled one last time at Frisk and, without another word, turned and walked back up the hallway. 

Frisk watched her leave, then took a deep breath and pushed open the doors, which took a lot of might, even for her. Another hallway lay before her, the purple rocks looking as if they got lighter the further down. She stood for a moment, then walked towards what she assumed was the exit at the other end, her footsteps echoing in the space. There wasn't much noise other than that, except for the faint sound of wind in the distance. About half way down the hallway, she realized that it was chilly, though it didn't bother her at all. The air, somehow, was fresher here than the stuffy air back in Toriel's house, even though she was sure she was going deeper into the cave system. 

She got to the end of the hallway and walked into a dark room with a single ray of sunshine and a patch of grass and a little golden flower in the centre—

_Oh hell no._

"Clever. Veeeery clever."

_Flowey the fucking Flower._

"You think you're really smart, don't you?" The flower said smugly, mocking her. "In this world, it's kill or be killed."

"Apparently not," she said. "I didn't have to kill in there, and I wasn't killed by anyone."

The flower rolled it's eyes (again, why the fuck did it have a face in the first place?) and crossed its petals, as if it was crossing its arms. "So you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person. Big deal."

_It was actually all of the monsters in the Ruins, not one, but... whatever, I guess._

The flower must have seen that she was quite proud of herself for sparing all of the monsters she'd encountered so far, because it laughed at her. "I bet you feel really great. You didn't kill anyone, _this time_."

Frisk vaguely wondered what it meant when it said "this time" so empathetically before it started talking again. 

"But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer?"

Frisk knew by Toriel's description that the Monsters outside of the Ruins were going to be a little tougher, if what she'd said about someone killing humans before she came here was anything to go by. 

"You'll die, and you'll die, and you'll die, until you tire of trying," Flowey said, smiling cruelly. "What will you do then? Will you kill out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world and let ME inherit the power to control it?"

Frisk vowed right then and there that, no matter what, she would not kill a single SOUL that lived down here and let this little bastard "inherit the power to control it," whatever he meant by that. It didn't necessarily mean she wouldn't kick someone's ass if she had to, but, for the most part, she would try not to kill people, for a change. 

"Listen, you little fucker," she said, baring her teeth at it. "I'm not planning on killing _anyone_ down here, so if you think I'm about to fall into your sick little game, then you can go drink some Weed-B-Gone and get shot on by rabbits."

The ~~flower~~ weed laughed again, not really caring what she said. It smiled that creepy, wide smile at her. "I am the prince of this  world's future. But don't worry, my little monarch, my plan isn't regicide. This is so much more interesting."

With one last bout of creepy-ass laughter, the ~~flower~~ weed disappeared into the soil and the room was silent. 

Frisk snorted. "Freaky little asshole."

_Is that thing even a Monster?"_

With that conversation over, Frisk walked around the pile of dirt and to the other side of the room, where there was another large purple doorway. She took a deep breath and pushed the rock open, then was blinded by bright white light.

***

**_Long, long ago, only one race ruled over earth: Humans._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOH. Two chapter this weekend, that’s more than I’ve gotten done all week :) ahahaha just kidding. Anyways, I actually have another chapter I’m gonna post right after this, a little bit of a break from the main story because, I mean, we’ve all played/seen someone play the game, right? You know what’s gonna happen. This has probably all been so boring for you guys. 
> 
> Well. Leave as many comments as you’d like and as many kudos as you can if you’ve enjoyed this so far, and have a nice day :)


	6. Break One: A Mother’s Hug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk wants to know where her father is.

"Memà, where is my Päavla?"

Her mother paused in her paperwork at her desk, letting the pen drop to the smooth wooden surface. Her bright blue eyes regarded Frisks bright eyed six year old form standing in the doorway of her office, wearing a lacy white nightgown and fidgeting nervously with the small teddy bear she held. The question seemed to have caught her off guard. 

"Why do you ask, Frisk?" Her mother asked. 

"Um," she said, staring at the floor. "All of the other kids have two parents, but I only have one. I just want to know why I don't have a Päavla and every one else does."

Her mother sighed and stared at the desktop for a moment, then looked back up and opened her arms. "Come here, baby."

It was one of the rare times where her mother would actually show affection to her, so Frisk had run to her mother for the hug. Her mother held her for a few moments, then kissed her on the top of her head, before she pulled back and looked into her eyes seriously.

"You do have a Päavla, Frisk, he just lives very far away from here."

Frisk, at that young age, was confused about that. "Why does he live far away?"

Outside it was dark, but Frisk could see that it was heavily snowing from the light from inside, and she could hear the harsh wind and the sound of a tree branch scratching against the side of the house. It was always snowing and cold outside, and inside was rarely better, but she felt warm in her mother's embrace. 

"He just does," her mother answered patiently. 

"But why?"

She went quiet for a moment, her lips pursing as they did when she was thinking. "It's against the rules for him to come here."

Frisk knew by now that there was no questioning the rules, so she didn't bother trying to get her mother to elaborate on that. "But could we go to where he is?"

"Yes, we can," her mother smiled softly at her. "Maybe someday when you're older you can go visit him."

"Would you come to visit him?"

Her mother looked at her again for a long time, and six year old Frisk wondered why her mother was sad all of a sudden. Weren't mothers and fathers supposed to love each other and want to be with each other? Why were her parents so different? Did they not love each other? 

"... no, baby. I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Oh," she said, looking down at the floor. Her feet dangled a foot or so off the hardwood floor since she was sitting on her mothers lap. "Do you ever miss him, memà?"

Her mother's eyes were shiny and bright when she smiled and cupped her daughters cheek in her hand, and Frisk wondered why her mother couldn't look like that all the time. She looked happy when she smiled, not at all like the stone faced, stiff person she normally acted like. 

"Only when I look at you and see him instead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you confused yet? Yes? Good. No? Oh, uh… well, I’m trying to be mysterious here so, maybe just pretend to be confused? Pretty please? :)
> 
> Also, I don’t know if the previous chapter actually published or not, can someone tell me? It’s called “FIGHTing the Gatekeeper”, if it did/didn’t.


End file.
